


Crossroads

by milkcoffee (abucketfulloffeels)



Category: Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: F/F, Friendship, Post-High School
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-13 23:42:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9147211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abucketfulloffeels/pseuds/milkcoffee
Summary: AU - Former kindergarten classmates Yoshiko and Hanamaru are united by coincidence, which leads to an unexpected turn of events.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I suck at summaries and titles, but anyway here's a cute little Yoshimaru multi-chapter fic, partly inspired by my librarian/sex shop salesperson NozoEli AU. I'm not sure if I'll be able to finish this fic since school will be starting soon (and also because I've been unmotivated to write the chapters I'm currently working on), but we'll see how it goes.

 High school was officially over with the end of the graduation ceremony, and thus began the months of applying and waiting to enroll into university. Some may take the opportunity to embark on a trip or two before the university term started, while others would settle for a temporary job to earn some extra pocket money. Yoshiko chose the latter, and began her stint as a part-time sales assistant in a black magic novelty shop in the Numazu city centre that she used to frequent.

 And it was surprisingly dull.

 “Tsushima-san, you can go back an hour early today. Slow day, it seems,” Yoshiko’s manager, the only other person working at the shop alongside her, said to her.

 “But it’s like only half-past four…” Yoshiko mumbled.

 “It’s alright, go back home and have a rest.”

 Yoshiko shrugged, and went to pack her things. That was one of the many reasons she disliked living in a small city like Numazu. Not many people were into specific subcultures like black magic and related practices like herself. Throughout her junior high and high school life, Yoshiko constantly felt like an outcast for possibly being the only one in class with such interests, in addition to her fallen angel alter-ego which she was trying to rid herself of (with some difficulty), for she was soon going to enter university.

 “If only I was from Tokyo…” Yoshiko sighed wistfully as she made her way out of the shop, towards the bus stop, while simultaneously scrolling through websites on her phone. Although Yoshiko did not indulge in her alter-ego as much, her penchant for all things gothic and dark stuck with her, and she enjoyed reading black magic community forums and following goth visual kei bands. But again, to her dismay, such conventions and concerts were usually held in big cities, not small seaside cities like Numazu.

 All was not lost for Yoshiko. She was going to apply to universities in Tokyo. Then she could finally escape Numazu and live in the self-dubbed “city of sin”, also the city of her dreams.

 

* * *

 The next day, again, Yoshiko was sent home early again. With that extra time on her hands, she decided to spend the rest of the day reading creepypasta on the internet. She opened the web browser on her handphone, but unfortunately, the page did not load. She tested various apps requiring an internet connection, and she faced the same problem.

 “Dammit, is mobile data down again? It’s the third time in two months!” Yoshiko cried in frustration. Telecommunications was not the most reliable in a city of such a size, which annoyed Yoshiko since she was always active online.

 “I just want to get out of this bloody town!”

 

 Since she wouldn’t have much to do if just went home, Yoshiko decided to drop by the library to pass her time.

 Yoshiko casually browsed through the fiction section, flipping through a book or two, decided that nothing interested her and went straight to the non-fiction section, where the informational books about black magic and demons were. She eventually found a book worth reading, and plopped herself in the reading corner to start on the book.

 As she was deeply engrossed in her book, Yoshiko felt something brush against her legs.

 “A kid?” Yoshiko stared at the small toddler crawling on the ground, before gently nudging him away. “Go back to your parents, don’t bother me.”

 

 Soon after, Yoshiko decided it was time to head back home and took the book to the self-checkout machine near the counter. As she approached the machine, she could not help but overhear a conversation between a meek-looking young librarian and a distressed mother clutching a child in one hand and a pram in the other.

 “...you’re sure you didn’t see him?” Worry was evident in the mother’s voice.

 “No...I don’t think so  _ zura _ .” Yoshiko noticed that the librarian had a fairly strong accent.

 “Really? You didn’t see baby boy about 2 years old, in blue overalls around here?” The mother was getting more desperate. “I was quite sure he slipped out of the pram in the library...how could I be so careless…”

 “Sorry...zura…”

 

 2 year old boy in blue overalls? The description matched that of the toddler Yoshiko saw not too long ago. Wasting no time, Yoshiko went back to the reading corner and scanned the area, and managed to spot the child very quickly. She carefully scooped him up into her arms and shuffled back to the counter.

 “Is this your son, Ma’am? I saw him around just now.”

 The mother’s expression promptly changed to relief. “Ah, yes, it’s him! Thank you so much, young lady, I was so worried when I found out I’ve lost him!”

 Upon reuniting with her son, the mother left the library with her children, thanking Yoshiko once more, leaving Yoshiko alone with the librarian.

 “Thank you for helping to find the child, you really saved me there,” the librarian muttered.

 “No problem, even a fallen angel like Yohane has the propensity to do good deeds-”

 “Yo-Yoshiko-chan?”

 Yoshiko froze and looked at the librarian closely for the first time.

 “Z-Zuramaru?!”

 “So it’s really you, Yoshiko-chan! I can’t believe you can recognise me after all those years!”

 It was Kunikida Hanamaru, Yoshiko’s classmate from kindergarten.

_ “Goddammit, Yohane came out, and in the presence of an old acquaintance like Zuramaru! You gotta stop it, Tsushima Yoshiko!”  _ Yoshiko cursed silently.

 

 “Welllllll I’m just gonna go borrow this book and go home, nice meeting you!” Yoshiko slowly edged away, towards the self-checkout machine.

 “So fast? But we just met again after a long time.”

 There was something about Hanamaru’s tone that caused Yoshiko to stop in her tracks and return back to her. 13 years had passed and Hanamaru had become so beautiful and charming, it was almost hard to believe.

 So Yoshiko went back to the counter, and they started catching up with each other. They talked about how Yoshiko moved from Uchiura to Numazu city before elementary school, which was why they never saw each other all those years. They talked about their lives in elementary, junior and senior high in brief, and how they landed in their temporary jobs soon after. They talked about Hanamaru’s love for books, which naturally led her to help out in the Numazu city library, even though it was a long bus ride away from her home.

 “Do drop by if you end work early next time, I’d like to catch up with you even more!” Hanamaru waved Yoshiko goodbye after they had talked for a while.

 “Okay, I will.”


	2. Chapter 2

 Ever since that day, Yoshiko indeed did start dropping by the library after work to visit Hanamaru. Sometimes she would stay for a while, just to browse through some books, while on other occasions, she would wait till Hanamaru ended her shift and go home together.

 

 “Hey Zuramaru, where and what are you planning to study in university?” Yoshiko asked once.

 “I applied for some universities in Shizuoka - it’s nearest to Uchiura after all and I don’t want to travel too far. Since I like writing, I’ll probably be studying literature or mass communications. What about you, Yoshiko-chan?”

 “I’m considering some engineering courses, but it’s definitely Tokyo for me.”

 “Tokyo? Why Tokyo?”

 “It’s a dream of mine,” Yoshiko sighed wistfully. “I’m sick of living in this small city near the sea. You know me and my weird ‘fallen angel Yohane’ schtick - I never fit in throughout my entire school life, and no one here seems to like all things gothic and little-devil themed like I do. But in Tokyo, things are different. People can be so open about their interests and hobbies, and yet there are communities that accept them...it’s a city I long to belong to!”

 Hanamaru chuckled as she noticed the passion in Yoshiko’s eyes as she waxed lyrical about Tokyo. “Tokyo may seem like a perfect city for you, Yoshiko-chan, but Numazu isn’t all that bad. You don’t need to be in a different city to be yourself.”

 

Usually their conversations were spontaneous and casual, but one day, Hanamaru changed things up.

 “Yoshiko-chan, the other day you told me you wanted to read some of my writing. Well...I brought something for you.” Hanamaru slid a simple, brown notebook across the counter.

 “All these are your original writing and stories?” Yoshiko thumbed through the pages and pages of Hanamaru’s neat but slightly cursive handwriting.

 “Yeah, you can have a read while I scan these books,” Hanamaru replied, biting her lip expectantly.

 So Yoshiko headed off to the reading corner to read through some of Hanamaru’s writing.

 

 And Yoshiko was duly amazed.

 In person, Hanamaru was awkward, speaking with an accent and using words that clearly reflected her countryside girl persona. However, on paper, she sounded completely different. Beautiful prose seemed to roll off her pen effortlessly, and her eclectic choice of expressions made every piece a compelling and enjoyable read. Even her story ideas were highly interesting, with plot developments on par with those Yoshiko read in published books from the bookstore or library.

 

* * *

 “Hey Zuramaru, you’re a really good writer!” Yoshiko approached Hanamaru and placed the book in her hands when Hanamaru was done with her shift.

 “R-really?” Hanamaru was pleasantly surprised at Yoshiko’s compliment. “Ruby-chan always praises my writing but I always thought she was just being the nice girl she usually is...but even for you to say so?”

 “Yep!” Yoshiko nodded. “You should publish some of these on the internet, I’m sure they’ll get a lot of positive reviews!”

 Hanamaru blushed. “Is it really that good…? I thought they’re nothing compared to the amazing works of literature out there.”

 “I’m serious, I know of some forums and blogging sites where people post their original writing, I think you can give them a try.”

 Hanamaru shook her head, smiling apologetically. “Maybe not, I’m not very good with electronics and technology. I only just got a laptop for university last month, and my house doesn’t have internet connection.”

 

 Yoshiko did not say anything about that topic after that, but deep inside she could not help but feel slightly indignant. Hanamaru deserved to showcase her writing to many others who would definitely enjoy it, yet she was not willing to do so. As much as Yoshiko wanted Hanamaru’s talent to gain some recognition, she could not force her.

 

* * *

 Then a golden opportunity descended upon her.

 

 Business was slow as usual at the black magic shop (it was a wonder to Yoshiko how they managed to survive this long or break even - perhaps the rent in this dilapidated building was cheap), and Yoshiko was surfing the internet on her phone to pass time. And by happenstance, she chanced upon an advertisement for a writing competition by a local publishing house.

 “Winning entry gets a chance to have their work published?” Yoshiko read to herself. “This is a great chance for Zuramaru to showcase her writing! I gotta tell her this!”

 

* * *

 “So what do you think?” Yoshiko showed Hanamaru the advertisement on her phone later that day.

 Hanamaru’s face lit up as she scrutinised the advertisement, but it slowly morphed to a frown.

 “It sounds really exciting, Yoshiko-chan, but entries have to be typewritten and submitted online. And like I told you before, I’m not very good with technology. I type really slowly and the deadline is in 3 weeks - I don’t have a lot of time.”

 “But it’s a waste if you just let it go! How about this - you write your drafts on paper and I’ll look through and help you type it out.”

 “Wait Yoshiko-chan, you would…” A hopeful smile started to appear on Hanamaru’s face.

 “I said, I would help you type it out…”

 “Really? Thank you so much, Yoshiko-chan! Then I’ll start planning my entry for this competition then!” Hanamaru squeezed Yoshiko’s hands in excitement.

 Yoshiko beamed. The unassuming and self-deprecating Hanamaru finally had the chance to shine in what she did best, and she was glad to be part of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haven't touched this fic for 5 days as seen from the Google Doc I have been working on >.>  
> I just couldn't bring myself to write lately...

**Author's Note:**

> Not gonna include Maru's "zuras" in the subsequent chapters because you get the drift


End file.
